1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a vehicle submergence measures apparatus for detecting submergence of a vehicle.
2. Related Art
A power window mechanism for opening/closing a pane of window glass by using a motor, or the like, has been generally set up in a vehicle such as a car in recent years. In the case of a vehicle having such a power window mechanism, provision of a various submergence measures to submergence in a sea, a lake, or the like, due to an unforeseen accident, or the like, has been discussed. The submergence measures enable a crew member to escape out of the vehicle easily when the vehicle has been submerged, by opening a pane of window glass automatically, or securely opening the pane of window glass by a manual operation.
Such a submergence measures uses a structure which has a submergence detection means for detecting a submergence state, a control circuit for controlling a movement, and a drive circuit for supplying driving electric power to a motor, or the like, to drive a pane of window glass to open/close the window. The structure enable the pane of window glass to compulsorily open or to securely open by operating an emergency backup circuit when submergence is detected.
In the above submergence measures, any technique for detecting submergence has never been established sufficiently. In the conventional art, a special sensor unit having a light transmitter and a light receiver for detecting water invasion optically was used for detecting submergence. In the case where such a special sensor unit was used, there was a problem that the cost of the submergence measures was increased greatly or a large space was required for arranging the special sensor unit. Hence, the emergency backup circuit using the special sensor unit became large-scaled and expensive.
The present invention has been attained to solve the aforementioned problem and an object thereof is to provide an inexpensive submergence measures apparatus in which a pane of window glass on a driver""s seat side can be opened surely when a vehicle is submerged.
According to the present invention, the apparatus for taking measures against submergence of a vehicle includes a submergence backup circuit formed on a substrate carrying electronic circuits in the vehicle, wherein the submergence backup circuit includes a submergence detection means for detecting a submergence state and the submergence backup circuit is configured to perform drive control of a window so as to control the window to be able to move only in an opening direction when the vehicle is submerged.
Preferably, the submergence backup circuit is configured to perform drive control of the window so as to drive the window to open when a manual window operating switch is operated into an opening side but so as not to drive the window when the manual window operating switch is operated into a closing side.
More preferably, the submergence backup circuit is set up on a driver""s seat side.
Further preferably, waterproof coating is applied to at least constituent members of the submergence backup circuit.
Although the aforementioned configuration is simple and inexpensive, the power window mechanism can be operated not in an ascending direction but only in a descending direction by the manual operation of the operating switch when the vehicle is submerged. Hence, in the aforementioned configuration, a pane of window glass on a driver""s seat side can be opened surely only by the operation of the switch.